Back in the good old bed-sitter days, coin operated meters for electricity and gas (UK) were common as were timer-switches for common areas (stairs, landings, exterior lights, etc.).
One suggestion might be to put coin-operated meters on the high-consumption items (immersion, drier, electric cooker, heating, etc) and timer-switches everywhere else except the bed-rooms although this arrangement would not prevent someone using an electric fan-heater for example in a bed-room.